The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, January 04, 1888, Image 6
^^BffmLLING^ALAMITY/
Eleven Cities in China Completely
Inundated.
Incalculable Loss of Life'and Millions
of People Starving.
????
The steamship City of Sydney has arrived
at Sim Francisco from Hong Kong. Chinese
papers give details of a disaster occasioned
by the Yellow River overflowing its banks in
the province of Honau, and describe it as one
of the most appalling occurrences in loss of
life and property re .'orded in recent times.
The river broke its banks on the evening )
of September 28, southwest of the city of j
o?/l nnlir nnmnlfttAlv innn? i
v r-??j l
dated that city, but also ten other j
populous cities. The whole area is now (
a raging sea ten to thirty feet deep, |
where was once a densely populated I
and rich plain. The former bed of the I
Yellow Ri. er is now dry and the present !
lake was the bed of the river centuries ago. j
The loss in life is incalcu'able, and the state- j
ment is made by missionaries that millions of j
Chinese are homeless and starving.
Thomas Paton, one of the American mis- )
sionaries, writing from Honau Province j
under date of October 28, says: "The newly
gathered crops, houses and trees are all swept !
away, involving a fearful loss of life. The !
country was covered with a fine winter braid,
which "is cone, and implies complete destruction
to nevt year's crop. 'Bread, bread!' is
the c y of thousands who are on the river
bank.
" Rflnovnlpnf. rftonln co in boats and throw '
bread among the masses here and there, but j
it is nutning compared with the requirements.
The mass of people is still being in- I
creased by continuous arrivals even
more hungry than tha last. There they sit, i
ftu ined, hungry and dejected, without a rag
f o wear or a morsel of fool. Mat huts are j
being erected for them. What it will be in j
two months I cannot conceive. The misery
is increased owing to the bitter cold I
weather."
Yellow River has long been known as j
China's sorrow, and the present disaster has j
served to reassert its right to the terrible |
title.
The Sovernor in Honau reports to the j
Throne that -'nearly all people have been j
drowned in the district reached by the water, ;
the survivors being those who escaped to the ;
high ground or took refuse in trees, where
they remained till they were rescued." This !
gives but little impression as to what the ex- i
tent of the disaster really is.
The Chinese Times, in the Province of j
Chihli, where disastrous inundations have J
also occurred says there are 270 people home- ;
tess,and adds that the misery in that province i
is trifling as compared with that caused j
by Hoango-Ho, or tho Yellow River. |
. The extent of ground swept over by tho j
overwhelming flood, given in English fig- i
ures. is over 8even thousand square miles, I
and land thus submerged formed a part of j
one of the richest and most densely populated
plains of Northern China.
Already considerable sums have been contributed
toward the relief of sufferers. Tho j
"PrwruJWM* aP f'Ki'no V>oq orivon twn millinno I
of taels, and the Chsnese have started
subscription lists in Shanghai, to which i
foreigners have liberally contributedMillions
have been rendered houseless and |
entirely deprived of all chancos of earning .
their live ihood, for their fields will cither 1
become permanent lakes or uninhabitable j
swamps. It is feared that the distress which |
?_ will be felt during the winter will equal in
Intensity the famine of ten years ago, when
charitable donations contributed from all
parte of the world were utterly inadequate.
It is stated that owing to
the (Ourse taken by the Yellow River
it no loader flows towards the sea, but seems j
content to convert Eastern Honau and I
XT AI XT I...; _ 1_1__ li I
nuniierij ngttuwuui liuu u ihkb. ii> may :
ultimately flow into the sea through the
Kiangon, or it may even possibly join tho !
Yangtse,
The news of this terrible calamity in China
will not be a surprise to persons who
have studied the history of the Yellow
River, known to the Chinese as the
Hwano-ho. From time immemorial this I
great Chinese stream has swept through its j
banks and over the adjoining country,carry- j
ing death and destruction before it. The ;
Golden River, rising in the Mongolian wilder
ness.runs by a circuitous route into China, I
entering in the neighborhood of Kai-Fung- j
Foo, on the great eastern plain or (Jhina, the j
scene of the present disaster. Accoriing to |
the Chinese records, the river has changed j
its bed nine times within 2,500 years, and |
each change has been attended by calamities j
that have earned for the fatal stream the !
x title of "The Sorrow of Han." The last I
change was in 1851-53, when the river, swol- j
len by phenomenal rains, 6wept over an j
extensive belt of country,aud struck the bed of |
theTa-tsing River, following that channel to
the sea. A large section of country was per- j
mancntly flooded, and the old bed of the I
stream was left dry.
The grand catastrophe described has long j
been foi-eseen, owing to the gradual breaking I
of the banks of the last channel. The greater !
portion of the delta in which the destructive \
inundation has occurred is below the level of j
the Yellow River, which partly accounts for I
the devastation wrought. This plain is very j
populous, though the vast majority of the !
inhabitants are poor, and make the barest |
subsistence.
The province of Ho Nan contains a popula- j
tion of more than twenty-three million per- i
sons. The chief city is Kai Fon<?. Us I
northern part is intersected by the Hoan^ ]
Ho. The soil is very fertile, or, more properly
speaking, the sojl which is now covered by
tho racing waten."
SUSPENDED ANIMATION, j
A Man Alive in Hi* tsunai uasKt-i
and Resuscitated.
A peculiar case of suspsnded animation is
reported from Victor, in Fayette County, W.
Va. B. F. Mihner, a middle aged farmer of
wealth, retired in his usual health. In the
morning he complained of severe pains and a
physician was called. By the time he came j
the farmer showed every symptom of death, j
After attempting for some time to resusci- >
tate him the physician left, pronouncing him j
dead. t
Preparations were made for the funeral, !
the supposed corpse being placed in the oas- J
ket. Just as the mourners had nearly fin- i
ished taking their supposed final look at the !
remains an'l the casket was to bo sealed down, |
an old lady friend stooping close noticed a
slight movement of the eyelid. She made
known the fact and a physician present, after
an examination, pronouncrd the man still
alive. Ho was transferred from the casket to
a couch, restoratives were applied and he is
now recovering rapidly.
PROMINENT PEOPLE.
Prohibitionist St. John s wife is making j
teetotal speeches in Kentucky.
Ex-Senatok Heniy G. Davis, of West '
Virginia, is worth fc>0,000,000.
Explorer Greely does not believe that I
the North Fole will ever be reached except
r _ by balloon.
Bret Harte is making about $10,000 pei |
year writing for the Scotch and English |
periodicals.
The immensely wealthy Baroness Burdett !
Coutts has just received a bequest of $9,000," j
000 tro:u a relative.
The fund as a testimonial to Edward Burgess,
designer of th-j Volunteer, has increased i
to more tnun 10,000.
Grand Duke Paul, of Russia, it is said, j
will command a corps of scouts one tliousanJ j
In number, mounted on bicycles.
Congressman Farquhar was a type
tter, and the first PresiUont of the first j
Typograghical Union iu the United States. I
p.?Tr Mimmv. of the Chicago. Burlington !
end yuincy Kailroad, is creuitod with being j
tho youugest general passenger agent in the
country. He is thirty years o:d.
Claus Spreckles, of San Francisco, is tin
sugar king of the world. He has millions |
upon millions in sugar plantations, and hisugar
revenue has beeu as high as ?1S,000 a j
day.
Hon. John* McShane, of Omaha, enjoys !
thi diStiuct.on of being the only Democratic !
Congressman ever elected in Nebraska. He I
is a millionaire now, but in 1871 was a cow- j
boy.
Judo is Alphonso Taft, ex-Attorney-Gen- j
eral, is still engaged in the active practice oI j
law in spite or his ad rancid age. He is one j
of the advisory counsel m the Fidelity
Bank cases at Cincinnati. I
THE NEWS EPITOMIZED, j
Fastern and Middle State*.
Five or six men were killed, two fatally injured
and others badly hurt by the explosion
of the boiler in the electric light station at
Westchester. Penn. The entire building, with
much valuable machinery, was destroyed.
The platform adopted by the National
Convention of Kepublican Clubs in New York
recites the work aone for the country by the
Republican party,attacks the President's message,
declares emphatically for protection to
home industries,accuses the Democratic party
of opposing "broad popular education," declares
for "an honest ballot and a free
count," charges the Administration with
"trampling upon the just claims of the soldiers
of the Republic," and alleges that the
Democratic party has uslh! the Civil Service
for partisan jiur| xjses. A National League of
Republican Clubs was formed.
John G. Whittier. the noat, has justcele
brated his eightieth birthday at his "home in
Dan vers, Mass.
The organization of the National Republican
League was completed at the last (lay's
session in New York by the election of James
P. Foster, of the New York Young Men's j
Republican Club, as President Twenty-six j
Vice-Presidents an 1 an Executive Committee |
were also chosen. The League's headquarters j
will be in New York, with a branch at
Washington.
Sylvester S. Crandell, of BallstonSna,
N. Y., committed suic.de after killing hia
mother-in-law and step-daughter and probably
fatally wounding his wife. Domestic
troubles led to the tragedies.
Many prominent people from all parts of
New England attended Governor Bod well's
funeral at Augusta, Me. The services were
held in the Hall of Representatives.
A Anrtmnnn Pailmorl f.rOITI in
I\. uCjU uicvavcu Avaiiivu<4 ...
New York left the rails and had a narrow
escape from falling into the street below. A
great loss of life was narrowly averted.
Ponth and West.
The Federation of Labor, in National Con
vention at Baltimore, reelected Samuel
Gompers as President.
By an explosion In a mine at Fleming,Mo.,
fifteen miners were buried beneath hundreds
of tons of coal and debris.
AsCHEMKisbaia* organized in Kansas to
make a grand raid on Oklahoma (reserved for
the Indians) next spring, and it is said 100,000
mfen will go into the territory at a given
date from three States.
the lour anarcnists, nangea novemoer n,
and Louis Ling?, who committed suicide,
have been buried at Waldheim Cemetery,
Chicago.
After a ten day's trial, Thomas G. Woolfolk,
the middle-aged son of a well-to-do
planter residing thirteen miles from Macon,
Ga.. has been found guilty of murdering his
father, mother, brothers and sisters?nine
persons in all?early one morning last
August
Indian Chiefs Sitting Bull, Charger and
Hump will visit Washington and lay the
Sioux Reservation matter before the President
on behalf of the Indians. The Indians of the
reservation have raised $5,000 for the purpose.
Chicago brewers are boycotting grain sent
from Prohibition States.
A cyclone in Indian Territory destroyed
a large amount of property and killed and
injured a number of people. 1
Judge J. S. Trimble and James A. Ramsey
killed each other in a street duel at
Farmersville, La.
Three miners were Kiuea ana several injured
by the explosion of natural gas in a
mine near Cambridge, Ohio.
Five men were killed by a boiler explosion
at Tilton, Ga.
Hon*. John 8. Barbour, of Virginia, has
been elected by the State Legislature to the j
United States Senate to succeed Senator j
Riildleberger.
Extremely cold weather has been prevail :
ing in the Northwest. At some points the j
thermometer registered more than twenty- |
five degrees below zero.
Washington.
Secretary Fairchild has recommended
the appropriation by Congress of $250,000 for
the establishment of a marine hospital in
New York City.
The Senate (Jomroitteo on Education
unanimously ordered a favorable report on
the Blair Education bill.
Postmaktehs nominated by the President: i
Orlando Currier, Hallowell, Me.; Thomas
F. Lyons, Canton, Mass.; Henry A. Pop3, I
Mi".ton, Mass.; Joseph M. Hollywood, Brock
ton, Mass.; Rob rt A. Scott, Friendship, I
N, Y.: Gilbert R. Lindsay, Rahway, N. J.,
and Wm. Lee, St. Paul
Eugene Higgins has resigned his position
as Chief of the Appointment Division in the
Treasury Department.
Nineteen Senators and seven Representatives
own property in Washington.
Charles S. Fairchild's nomination as
Secretary of the Treasury has been confirmed
by the Senate.
a tknitinvat. Yinmirmtions bv the President:
Stephen A. De Wolfe, of Montana, to be Associate
Justice of the Supremo Court of the
Territory of Montana; E. Henry Lacombe,
of New York, to bo additional Circuit Judge J
for the Second Judicial Circuit; Edward E.
Bingham, of Ohio, to be Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court of the District of Columbia;
M. V. Montgomery, of Michigan, to be Associate
Justice of the Supreme Court of the
District of Columbia: William J. Allen, of
Illinois, to be United States District Judge
for the Southern District of Illinois: New,,T
^ n -? m???i
ton w. lucoonneii. oi w v^uici i
Just ce of the Supreme Court of the Territory I
Of Montana.
Foreitra,
Almost a panic occurred in Vienna j
financial circles over the increasing prospect |
of a war with Russia. Intense excitement :
prevails throughout Austria, and it is feared !
that a great European war is imminent.
In a conflict in Syria between Bedouins '
and Druses the latter had 160 killed and &K) !
wounded.
The closing of factories, arising from de- j
pression in trade, in Catalonia, Spain, has j
resulted in disorders,requiring the police ana
troops to preserve order.
Thehe is great excitement in the Canadian
Northwest territories over an invasion of
Mormons. Fifty families have already taken
land at Fort McLeo 1.
_____
THE LABOR WORLD.
Nearly sixty thousand men are engaged
in the building trades in New York city.
It is reported that a manufacturer of Philadelphia
is arranging to establish extensive
architectural iron works at Dalton, Ga.
Men are being taken on gradually at
Roach's Chester shipyard as they are needed
and the payro.l is constantly increasing.
THE majority OI me striKing snoeinaKera
have returned to work at Rochester, and in
some of the factories the men were conceded
their demands.
Of the 20,000 men engaged in New York i
harbor as freight handlers, boatmen and J
longshoremen, 3,500 are said to bo uuable to ;
find employment.
The International Iron Molders' Union ~e- I
ports that it has now 250 locals, with a tOvfll ,
membership of over 10,000. The trade is Uull I
all over the country.
Statistics show that 15,435 persons are
employed in the fish industry in Massachusetts.
Over 10,00J of tuesj are Americans,
about 1,500 Canadians, Swedes and b00
Irish.
Public meetings in favor of early closing
are being held m London. It is alleged that
the average hours of English shop girls and
clerks are from 13 to 14 a day. Tnere is an
early Closing uui now uoiuru jTuruuiiiuuu I
The second annual convention of the Na- |
tional Federation ot Labor met in Baltimore j
lately. The delegates were received by '
Mayor Latrobe. on the part of the city. Pi es- |
ident Rompers,of the convention, responded. J
N. B. Talbot,lor the Baltimore Federation of i
Labor, made an address of welcome.
The window glass trade is flourishing, and J
stocks are not as heavy as at tnis time last
year. There are 090 pots in operation in the
Western District, ana only 54 idle. Jn the
Eastern District 204 are in operation and 21
idle, and in the Northern District 150 pots are
in operation, with only 8 id.e. Tug total number
of pots in operation in the country is
1,110.
The sudden appearance of water In many !
wells in Southern W isconsin that have been
dry since the drought of Inst summer has '
caused no little wonder among t.^e p opto. !
Welis are filled almost to the top. 'IJie
phenomenon occurred during the nigtit. 1
A GREAT BAFT ADRIFT.
The Largest Floating Body Ever
Launched Lost at Sea.
An Immense Mass of Timbers j
Valued at $150,000.
The great raft of timber which was being j
towed to New York from Nova Scotia went j
i adrift the other morning right in the way of |
; navigation. The powerful steamship Mi!
randa, which was towing it, reported having
lost ine rail. ine great mass ol uraoer
I came from the vicinity of Parrsborough,
i Nova Scotia, which is on the north aide
j of Minos basin, a branch of the Bay of
j Fundy. The distance to be towed was nearly
: six hundred miles.
! The raft was something new in the line of
transporting timber, and was practically an
experiment. All the timber of which it was
composed waa cut within a short distance of
where it was built. It was constructed on
cradles, something like a ship, the
logs being neatly piled together ar.d
securely bound with chains. It took two seasons
to complete it. It was broken up in the
launching and had to be entirely reconstructed,
but was finally floated. The Miranda
took it in tow on Friday, December 9.
Chief Steward William H. Wilson, of the
Miranda, .told a reporter the tale of the
trip: "when we first lay alongside the
rait, when it was at anchor, the immense
thine looked to be three times as
long as our ship. It was cigar-shaped and
about 36 feet in diameter. It was over 600
feet long, floated 15 feet out of water and
21 feet under water. It seemed to be all of
round timber, solidly bound together. We
took the thing in tow with a big 15-inch and
a 10-inch hawser, both hempen. Coming
down the Bay of Fundy we made about five
knots progress against the strong tide and
everything started well. But before we got
clear of the Bay of Fundy it came on to blow
and got steadily worse every day, right in
our teeth, so that we could hardly make any
progress at all. We had lengthened out
IL. 1 ) i.'. J 4L.
ine uaw?en> auu irieu i/u matte wit) ,
strain easy, with the raft 940 feet I
behind us. But last Sunday morning, when j
off Nantucket shoals, a terrific gale was blowing.
and shortly after daylight the bis: hawser
broke with a tremendous snap. The ship
was 8teaming at half speed and went ahead
immediately with a jerk, the result
being thit the small hawser tore the bits to
which it was fastened clear out of the deck
and the whole thing was left behind. It was
impossible to make any effort to pick it up,
ana so we could only come on.
"The last we saw of the raft, it was about
sixty miles from Block Is and and drifting
south. Only a frw small logs had come out
of it, and it seemed to be solid enough to hold
together forever. It is right in the track of
shipping, and one touch of it would be
worse to any vessel than striking a rock. We
were to have brought it through Long Island
RnnnH and nhnvwi if. inta n rnvA inct, nhova
Hell Gate, where it would have been broken
Ujp^and sawed for shipbuilding or anything
The raft was owned by a syndicate. It was
designed by Hugh R. Robertson, of Nova
Scotia, who got a patent for its system of
construction. It cost $30.( 03 to construct,
and contained about 900,0JO tons of timber,
worth $150,000. The raft was not insured. i
EIGHT MEH KILLED.
An ICneinc and Snow Plough Fall
Thirty Feet.
Eight lives were lost in a railroad accident
the other afternoon on the Intercolonial railroad
at Mcintosh's Cove, a sm ill fishing hamlet
forty miles from Bathurst, the capital of
Glouster County, New Brunswick. An engine
and snow plough, with thirteen men on
board, all train hands but one, jumped the
track while crossing the Caraquet river and
fell thirty feet into the ice-bound stream be- j
low. The names of the dead are:
Daniel Kearney, aged 25, conductor;
Michael Lannigan, aged 31; Felix Bushie, i 1
aged 24. fireman; Joseph Viennean, aged 2!>;
John Paulin, aged 30, brakeman; A.
Pinet, aged 23, section man; John Carney,
aged .'50; Frank Miller, aged .'50, passenger.
The accident happened under unusual circumstances.
On account of the big snow- !
storms thereabouts, the track was ob- i
etructed, the drifts in place being piled I
up to a height of four or five feet. The ;
train left Caraauet for Bathurst at 2 '
p. m., the usual hour, running under dim in- '
ished speed on account of tho drifts. The !
train was filled with passengers. A snow- j
plough was attached in front of the engine, '
and in this way tho train proceeded '
as far as Mcintosh's Cove, where a small
colony of French fishermen live. Big
drifts were encountered here lying across the
track at the entrance to the bridge across
the Caraquet River. It was decided best not
to attempt to pull the train across until the
plough bad cleared away the snow.
The engine, with the plough ahead of it,
started for the bridge at a good speed. As
the first drift flew out of sight before the
nloueh the passengers on the train behind
cheered and waved their hats. Suddenly as
the engine approached the middle of the
bridge the plough was seen to jump clear from
the track, and with it the engine, and both 1
to topple headlong off the bridge and out of 1
sight into the river below. The river is only
six feet deep. The engine broke through the
ice, burying its little band beneath its weight ,
in the free/.Jng water.
Some of the men were killed outright The '
cries of the others were heartrending as they
called for help The passengers on the train ;
hastened to the scene instantly, and venturing
out on the river did their utmost to ex- J
tricate the unfortunate party. Being without
implements, they made no progress, and
were compelled to witness the death of '
the helpless men. A relief train was '
summoned as soon as possible, but f
in order to do so a messenger
was despatched back to the nearest station.
The hours wore on until midnight, and still I
the brare passengers kept at their task of j
Irvinir to help the imprisoned men. It was
alter midnight before the relief train from
Bathurst, carrying physicians and road officials.
made its appearance.
They began operations at once, and by ten
o'clock next morning succeeded in rescuing
those who were not dead. Of these there
were five, all more or less injured. The rescurers
had a hard time of it trying to save
Puncan Patterson, who was imprisoned by
the broken timbers in the cab of the engine, 1
whence, after suffering terribly from scalding,
he was at last pulled outalive early next
morning.
On the relief train came the wives and little
hildren of the train hands, who had heard of j
the accident and begged permission to go j *
down to the bridge. Several of the dead men j |
had large families, and the children cried i
piteously as they saw the mangled bodies of
their fathers taken from the river. The work
of the rescuers next morning was witnessed
by hundreds of people from the neighboring
country.
MUSICAL ANDDBAMATIO.
Booth and Barrett have been playing a
fortnight's engagement in Boston.
Helen Barry, the distinguished EngHgh
nctrcss, will make an American tour this |
season. 1
noAvcnur ITmtr tnrtfa Inef nAm/vIv "tllft i .
unuiiovA uv rr Ani/ o iaov vvinvtjj X
Henrietta," baa made the hit of the season in <
New York t
Madame Minnie Hauk haa left Mr. Ml.- c
pleson's Opera Company, and accepted en- (
garments in Russia
Joe Jefferson, has returned to bisLouisi- *
ana plantation after playing a week's engagement
in New York.
Henry Irving and his company, after
playing a successful engagement in New i
York, went to Philadelphia.
Mrs James Brown Potter has declined
to play an engagement in New Orleans became
sbe refuses to act on Sunday.
Miss Van Zandt, who has recovered the |
use of her voice and her limbs, was to have
mado her first appearance in Vienna recently.
The latest musical wonder is little- Fritz
Kreisler, a violinist, who took the lirst prize
at the Paris Conservatoire. He is now play- | i
ing in Vienna j
It is now said that Remenyi, the violinist, >
was not drowne l off Madagascar al ter all. re- j 1
pons 01 nis recent appearance in no juuuh <j
baviug been published.
Miss Verona Jakbeau, the actress, rescued
ft little child from the track in front of
a train at Newcastle, Penhr^jvliile n dozen ,
people stood on thj platform paTflJyzed >vitb
fear.
LATER NEWS,
Massachusetts is sending pauper immigrants
back to Europe by the ship load.
A New York syndicate with 120,000,000
capital will build elevated railroads in
Chicago.
A Government steamer was dispatched
from the Brooklyn Navy Yard to search for
the mammoth raft lost while it was being
towed from Nova Scotia to New York.
Heavy blizzards and intense cold have resulted
in much suffering in many sectious of
the West and Northwest. Four people are
reported dead in Clark County, Kansas, from
the cold, while near Dighton, in that State, a
? ? j Auiijmah f A
woman tuiu iiei mu uunuicii aic >uunu
have perished.
Weeping Water, Neb., has been almost
totally destroyed by fire.
Baltimore oyster pirates defeated a party
of city officers in a naval engagement with
shotguns.
Five bond robbers and incendiaries in jail
at Tompkinsville, Ky., were taken out by a
mob and lynched.
The sheriff and two deputies of Norman
County, Minn., while attempting to arrest
the Hohnadel family, were set upon by the
husband, wife and four sons and severely
beaten. The two deputies were fatally injured.
The German Crown Prince's physicians
are onoe more hopeful of a recovery.
Baracoa was swept by a huge wave, and
many houses were destroyed.
SUMMARY OF CONGRESS,
Senate Proceedings.
9th Day.?Bills introduced: By Mr. Hoar,
relating to the celebration of the centennial
of the inauguration of the Constitution; Mr.
Frye, for the collection of more accurate statistics
of exports, emigration and immigration;
M r. Piatt, to prohibit the manufacture and
sale of spirituous and intoxicating liquors in
the District of Columbia; Mr. Riddleborger,
to incorporate the Washington Cable Electric
Railway of the District of Columbia;
on/lnroAn f/"k ^ iri^Q fhft fifutA C\t Na
braska into I wo judicial districts; Mr. Cullom,
to annex a portion of Montana to Idaho.
Mr. Sherman moved that the President's
message and accompanying documents be referred
tothfe Committee on Finance,and gave
notice that after the holidays he would address
the Senate on the subject. Motion agreed to
.... Mr. Push offered resolutions to the effect
that the most important and pressing duty
of the present session of Congress is to revi se
and so amend existing internal tax and tariff
laws as to reduce the annual revenues
to be collected therefrom to the necessarv
wants of the Federal Government. He <
addressed thfr Senate on the tariff question,
saying he favored retaining the whisky tax, i
but would repeal the tax on tobacco, and |
would put in the free list chemicals, salt and i
raw wool or all low grades, out not iron ore. i
The resolution was ordered to lie on the
table 1
10th Dat.?Numerous petitions from va>
rious States were presented in favor of Mr.
Blair's Educational Bill, and also a petition
from citizens of Pennsylvania protesting
against the admission of Utah as a State....
Mr. Allison, from the Committee on Finance,
reported a bill to regulate the importation of
foreign merchandise and to secure uniformity
in the classification thereof and for other
purposes (the Undervaluation Bill.)....Mr.
Davis, from the Committee on Pensions, reported
a bill to place the name of Mrs. Logan
(widow of General John A. lx>eant on the
pension roll at the rate of ?2,000 a year, aud
asked for its immediate consideration. Mr.
Berry objected, and the bill was placed on
the calendar. Mr. Davis also reported a bill (
to increase the pension or Mrs. blalr (widow f
of General Blair), and it was also placed on
the calendar Executive session. f
11th Day.?The resolution offered by Mr. j
Butler for the appointment of a select committee
of five to investigate the condition of
the five civilized tribes of Indians was taken
up and adopted The resolution offered by
Mr. Beck directing the Post-office Committee
to inquire into the advisability of reducing
the rate 'of letter postage to one cent
was token up and referred to that committee
....Mr. Dawes called up the bill to amend
the law concerning the Commission of
Fish and Fisheries and moved it be passed.
It provides for the appointment by the Prosi
dent, witn me aavice ?nu consent vi mo i
Senate, of a person of scientific and practical
acquaintance with fish and fisheries, as commissioner,
at a salary of $5,000, such person
not to hold any other United States or State
office ... A motion by Mr. Iteagan to reduce
the salary to $3,0.')0 was rejected and the bill
was passed The joint resolution for a holiday
recess was passed after discussion.
Honse Proccodlnsrs.
0th Day?Mr. Hatch's concurrent resolution
that the two Houses adjourn on Monday,
December 19, to Thursday, January 5, was
discussed by Mr. Reed, of Maine, who said
the peculiar condition of the business affiirs
of the country rendered the action which i
had been taken, or rather the non-action i
which had been suffered by the Democratic
side of the House, matter of ligitimate corn- j
ment both here and before the country, j
/-I 1: - nr_ aitnnlra, 1
v_LMl l> ill U-U jfc;, iur. xvccu aviov^Avu vuv * i ,
dent's Message. Messrs. Hatch (Mo.) and i
Cox (N. Y.) replied to Mr. Reed, the latter
commenting on what he called "the sadden
conversion of the gentleman from Maine." j
Mr. Mills (Tex.) offered as asubstitute for Mr. |
Hatch's resolution a resolution declaring that j
when the two houses id journ Thursday, Dec.
22, they stand adjourned until Wednesday,
Jauuary 4. Mr. Hatch accepted the substitute
and the resolution as modified was agreed
to....Mr. Blanchard (La ), offered a resolution
expressive of the regret with which the ]
House had heard of the death of E. W. Robsrtoon,
late a member-elect of the Fiftieth
Ltoncress from Louisiana, and then, as a mark
jf respect to the memory of the deceased,
the House at 12:4? adjourned. 1
7th Day. ? The Speaker announced
the appointment of the Committee on c
Rules, as follows: The Speaker, Messrs. ,
Randall. Mills, Reed and Cannon.... ^
Mr. Dibble (S. C.) offered a resolution re- :
ferring to the Committee on Appropriations ?
the reports of the Court ef CI nms on the
French spoliation claims, with instructions J
So that committee to report all claims which
have been decided favorably to the J
claimants in the General Defl- J
liency bill. Adopted after discussion.... 1
Mr. Grosvenor (Ohio) offered a resolution "
calling on the Secretary of War for a stato- 1
nent of the plan and scopc of the compila- '
;ion of the official records of the war of the [
ebellion, etc.
8th Day.?Mr. Brumra (Pcnn.) offered a '
esolutiou requesting the President to urge c
1? ,n nffininlc f/* unfnr/?n 1
/lie lrwtsurjf jvcj??i viu?iu viuviu.j
;he law restricting the importation of foreign
abor under contract, as it was currently re>orted
that the coal operators in the Lehigh
/alley were now importing 2,000 Belgian
niners to take the place of the miners now .
>n strike there, although these miners had
>een vainly seeking to secure arbitration on
iheir grievances. Referred to Committee on
Labor.
9th Day.?Mr. Randall (Penn.), from the i
Committee on Rules, submitted a partial report.
It recommends the adoption of the e
ulcs of the Forty-ninth Congress until fur- c'
;her order, with a number ot changes. The
'ollowing select committees are provide I for: ,
5n Reform in the Civil Service, to consist of ^
thirteen members; on Election of President
ind Vice-President ami Representatives in
Congress, to consist ot thirteen numbers; 011 c
;he Eleventh Census, to consist of thirteen I
nembers;on Indian Depredation Claims, to
onsist of thirteen members; on Ventilation |
ind Acoustics, to consist of seven members; j
)n the Alcoholic Liquor Traffic, to consist of
(leven members. After d 'bate the partial re- g
>ort was agreed to... .Eight hundreJ private ^
>ills were urcsi>nte(L
FlTlA'n T"NT TTTR RT,T1T(tH. !
|"
The Strange Fate of a Young Far- ; *
mer. 1
James Kaiiken, a young farmer of Broken
Row, Neb., started out a few days since on a t
limiting expedition. In the woods, just
half a niilo from his house his double- f
barreled shotgun must have slipped c
3fl" the driving seat of his sleigh, and
it is suppos mI that in attem >tng to draw p
it toward hunself tho hammers caught, and t
both loads wore discharged into his heart.
His clothing caught lire from tho flash, c
aim was uunicu <j:i mini vuo
tiou of the overshoes and a pair of
fe t boots. Tho re.nains wore discovered
this morning lying on the Beat ot *
tho sleigh nenr themain road. His rigid right 0
hand still held the reins firmly, and tlie horses c
were standing on the edge of a deep ravine,
liicy had n<>c b en fed since the accident, I
i*id had gnawed the tleigli tongue nearly in s
;wo. F
*
A STEAMER BURNED..
A Pacific Coast Disaster In
Which Twelve Men Perish.
Unmanageable Sailors Make a
Wild Rush For the Boats.
One of the worst marine disasters that has
occurred on the Pacific coast for many years
was the burning of the Pacific Coast Steamship
Company's freight steamer San Vincent,
the other night, off Pigeon Point, forty miles
from San Francisco, which resulted in the
loss of 12 of the crew. The 7 survivors were
picked up hy the steamer Queen of tha Pacific,
which brought to San Francisco the
first news of the disaster. Captain Lewis
told the following story of the calamity. The
loss of life he attributes solely to lack of discipline
among the crew, who became panicstricken
and made a wild rush for the boats: :
"We left Broadway wharf," said the
captain, "at 4 o'clock yesterday and at halfpast
9 the mate notice ! smoke coming up j
through the leaders of the wheelgaar. |
A hose was stretched along the deck and
the engineer was ordered to stop his engine
twiu burn iue m?uiii inn# tuu puuijra, uuu um
smoke which now be^an to pour through
the crevices of the engine rooms terrified the
engineer, who, although he turned on the
lire pump, failed to stop the steam-r's headway.
He and his assistant, with two firemen
and all the crew, came rushing up the companjonway
and about the deck. The
main hatch was cleared away but
the current of air thus produced caused the
flames below to burst forth in a volume that
could not be stayed. The hatch was again
placed in position, the ventilators were turned
from the wind and an effort made to smother
^ a frt maanvt flomac
Hit; inc. AJIULIICI UbUCUipu IA/ iquv/11 VI1C IIOIIIVO
was marie through the after-hatch, but this
again failed. The hold was stored with lime
barrels. It was Impossible to get at the
flames.
'"The hatch was strapped down and the
port boat ordered lowered. By this time
frenzy had seized the crew. They became
unmanageable as wild beasts and ran about
in smoke and darkness lost to all order and
discipline. As soon as the port
boat touched the water engineers, firemen,
purser, cook and a number of seamen
sprang into it. I ordered them to desist, but
was pushed aside as the men crowded the
rail. When the boat could contain no more
it was pushed off into darkness. Meanwhile
the starboard boat was lowered, and the remainder
of the crew rushed for it, crowding
on the seats while it was yet hanging from
the davits. Seeing resistance was useless,
I ordered Mate Green into the boat to
keep it clear from the burning ship, as the
fiomne wow nnm nnoKinor t.hPAnirh AVAPV
"V """ ?e ?o- J I
crack and every moment the mainmast
threatened to give way. Just as the mate
stepped into the boat the tackle that held it
burned away and the boat dropped. It filled
Mid swamped, leaving tho mate and seamen
struggling in the water.
"I and the second officer were now alone on i
the burning ship. All loose combustible*
were thrown overboard?oil, ropes and light
lumber?until there was a clear space
left on the forward deck. Here we
jet to work to construct a life-raft, j
leter mined not to leave the vessel i
until she burned from under us. Boards and 1
latch covers were lashed together, and when
;he work was done the rude raft was dragged
forward to the bow, and the Becond mate
ind I stood there waiting for the
Inal plunge, but were ri-scued by the ,
x>at from the Queen of the Pacific. Tne
Jueen stayed with the wreck till she went
lown. One man was rescued from the first
t ?1? -1- f ] -.1.. #..11 mn4-A?<
X)i&, which was luuitu umrijr iuu kjl navci.
3e was lying in tlie bottom unconscious. He 1
lied soon after being brought on board the
Jteamer." i
The burned steamer was valued at $30,000 j
ind was uninsured. No one could give any j
dea of the cause of the fire. ,
i
i
A GOVERNOR'S DEATH. !
~~ I
The Chicr Executive of Maine Passes
Away. ' '
Governor Bodwell,of Maine, died on Thursday
at Hallowell, aged seventy years. His !
death was caused by congestion of the lungs, (
resulting from exposure and overwork. ]
Joseph Robinson Bodwell was born in Mo- j
thuen, Massachusetts, on June 18, 1818. He
was a self-made man. For a long period of {
his life he worked at the hardest manual <
labor, and lived in humble circumstances, j
relying upon hisown exertionsfor a livelihood. (
He worked on a farm until 1835, for $6 a (
month, when he learned the shoemaker's
trade, at which he worked every evening, at- ,
tending school in the daytime. In 1852 he (
Hssociatod with Moses Webster in the granite .
hno'n >ss Frnm this befrinniner the Bodwell ! }
(Jranite Company was formed, with Bodwell c
as President, and the business be:ame prob- t
ably the largest in this line in the country, j
Bodwell then organized the Hallowell Granite
Company, and also extensively engaged
in agricultural pursuits. He was President
of the Bodwell Water Company and of the (
rapid transit company between Boston and
New York. Ho had served two terms in the ,
Legislature, was twice Mayor of Hallowell, |
md in lttvO was delegate-at-large to the Garfield
convention. He was elected Governor
in 18550 by the Republicans.
i
? I
PUBLICLY FLOSSED,
Vovel Pnn'shment of Three Boys
Convicted of Thievery. \
In the town of Washington three boys? <
lohnWorick and Gus and Eddie Schoengardt
?were arrested a few days ago for petit lar?ny.
They were found guilty by Justice i
logenbusch, but in consideration of the fact [
hat they come ot' good families he assessed a
junishment without precedent in the State.
xne par nts or one ooys pieaaea nam ior
hem. and the Judge finally ordered a nominal
ine imposed, providing the parents would
mblicly flo* the boys in the Court House
Square. The fathers ageeed, ami about one
housand persons assembled on the square
ind saw the fathers flog tho Jjovs soundly.
Ml the s hools cave a recess, and the children
vere invited to w present and profit by the :
noral. The children wore marshaled by their
eachers. One of tbc culprits stood the drub>ing
without a murmur, but the yells of the
it hers could be beard two blocks away. i
NEWSY GLEANINGS. j!
Av nmhrplln. thief was sentenced to Ave i I
rears' imprisonment in New York.
A new undertaking in the fruit line is the J
hipment of Florida oranges to Europe.
J. D. Barbke, of Leary, Ga., while hunt- (
ng, shot and killed a pure white partridge. ^
Michigan is entirely freo from State debt,
ui'l has a surplus of $574,7^8 derived from I
lirect taxation. 6
It has been decided to hold the general *
Hethodist Episcopal Conference in New '
rr?i ir~.. i
k orh. uu iuuj j.
Portions of Iowa have been flooded with
lonterfeit dollars made of cast iron heavily (
dated with silver.
The Great Eastern, which originaily cost
2,500,000, has again been sold at auction at F
jiverpool for $100,000.
Seattle, Washington Territory, has been ! i"
elected as the American tjnniuu-i of the |
,'anadian Pacific ltuilroad.
Much suffering is reported in parts of ?
Juenos Ayres, owing to a failure of crops, f
lue to excessive cold weather. i ^
There are nine British missionaries now , ^
aboring in Africa, with an aggregate an- ! j.
lual expenditure of $1,000,000.
The wheat area m unio is usummou ?u | t
ighty-fivo per cent, of that of Jast year, or i
ibout four tnousand acres short.
A German tourist ha? just encircled the F
;lobe at a cost of ?!)0J, and the voyage took f
>ne hundred and eighty-five days. C
Natives near Aslieville, N. C., net $1.75 a j:
tound f<?r ginseng root, which they dig in 11
he woo.Is, for exportation to China.
A 1 o iest fire on one of tlu- mountains near ^
?alt Lake City surrounded ami burned to ?
leath a fiock of seven hundred slieep.
T***/Inrtmncl rjifcio'l at Chicago
or the benefit of tlio families of the executed p
;iul imprisoned Anarchists, has been deelured ,,
itf. Q
The New York Central an 1 Hudson River c
lailroad now heat? twenty-two trains with |.
tenii, and the work is going on asquickly as ?
tossible. C
OUE FOREIGN TRADE.
Hnjpe Figures Concerning the Na*
tion's Commerce. '
The forthcoming report of the New Sork
Chamber of Commerce for the fiscal year
ending June 30, 1887, will contain some interesting
statistics relative to the leadiug
articles of merchandise imported into ana
exported from New York and the United
States generally.
The total value of leading articles of merchandise
entered at New York was fc}]6,728,021,
or more than 70 per oent of the total
values imported into the country. At
All othfir norts in t,h? T1 nif?H RtAtvw
the imports aggregated $182,614,609.
Sugar leads the list of imports with a
value of $46,098,354, while coffee comes next
at a valuation of $46,231,302. Tea amounted
$6,402,268 pounds, imported at an average
valuation of about 1W cents per pound.
Out of the $10,557,557 worth of precious
stones, $9,663,6fc0 were entered at this port.
Of the total value of minor and miscellaneous
articles of merchandise, which
amounted to $242,977,138, New York is
credited with $139,970,610; and of the coin
and bullion, amounting to $60,170,792, there
was entered at this port $41,838,214. The
total value of imports ror the year June 30.
1886, to June 30, 1887, was $752,490,560. of
which amount $497,936,845 passed through
this port.
A glance at the exports^ of domestic merchandise
for the 6ame period shows that
tne total vaiue ior tne wnoie country was
1X25,733,'263, and that sent out of" New
York was $319,357,498. Over 37 per cent,
of the total values of the breadstuffs and
nearly 65 per cent, of the provisions exported
were from this port Included in the
aggregate of exports given above is 822,710,340
worth of domestic coin and bullion, $12,
515,123 of which wentthrough New York.
The total foreign commerce of New York
for the year was $832,447,723, which was an
cn Arer fV?nf nf INXri.A nf (OQ Ql*> 71*4
and there was an excess of foreign imports
over domestic exports at this port of -f 178,579,347.
With the exception of the years
ending respectively June 30, 1885, 18S4,
1883 and 1882 there has been every year for
the past 10 years an increase of foreign imports
over domestic exports, the largest being
in 1880, when the increase was $278,886,831,
ana me smallest mat 01 ioiy, wnen it was
$346,024Generally
the same remark applies to all
the ports of the United States, except that
in 1883, while there was a decrease in
New York of $15,497,477, there was in the
aggrrgate of all the ports an increase of
$40,238,340. The year 1879 is also a
noteworthy exception, for while there was
an increase of foreign imports over domestic
exports of $340,021, there was in all ports of
the United States a decrease in the same line
of $7,810,790.
Of the imports that were brought into New
York. $67,608,159 worth were carried
on American vessels; $430,321,637 in
foreign vessels, and $7i049 were brought
in bv cars and other land vehicles. Of
the domestic exports shipped, $38,857,150
went by homo vessels ana I280.500.34ij by
foreigners. Of the total values, both imports
brought in and foreign and domestic exports
hipped out for the whole country. American
vessels carried $222,47(3,047 worth; cars and
land vehicles, $61,458,952 worth. Foreign
vessels carried $l,220,7:>'fl.483. The total
values of imports, domestic and foreign ex
ports shipped in the port of New York during
the year was *&i2,447,723, and that of all
the ports in the United States, $1,504,671,463
A NAPHTHA_E_XPLOSION.
Pour Persons Killed, Three Missing
and Twenty Injured.
An accidental discharge of 14,030 gallons
of naphtha in one of the main sewers at
Rochester, N. Y., on Wednesday, produced
the most sensational and uncommon disaster
that city or any otner ever experienced.
Soon after three o'clock the heavy stone
L-overing of a manhole of the Piatt street
iewer was uiuwu uu uy ?& bornuc oApiusiuu,
and then almost immediately another
Bxplosion occurred beneath the Clinton
Flouring Mill on Mill street.
The upheavals were followed by
sheets of Ha me that burst out with great fury
to a hight of sixty feet. The Clinton mill
took lire first, and the flames spread quickly
to theWnshington mill and the Jefferson mill.
These three mills and contents were destroyed,
involving a loss of #-00,000. The
first explosion was followed quickly by others
a ong Mill and Piatt streets, and. at several
[joints on West avenue, m iking over forty in
all, and extending along four m.les of sewers.
In each case the manholes were a,l blown to
pieces,and in many places flames shot up and
continued to burn fiercely for several minutes,
fhe explosions were so violent as to hurl
rocks into building and against pedestrians,
;ausing a panic throughout the whole region
;raversed Dy tne sewers.
Four parsons were killed, three reported
niss.ng and twenty badly injured. The cause
>f the peculiar disaster was an attempt to
)ump the naphtha from tha Vacuum
Dil Company's tanks through a two-mile conluit
to the Municipal Oas Com any's works
le&rthe center of the city. The naphtha
>ecame ignited and exploded.
The hearing by the Interstate Commerce
Commission of the 'carload lot" cases, in I
wh.ch business men in all parts of the conn- ]
try arc man testing considerable interest, has j
been postponed until January 24.
Rev. 0. H. Wauceb, of New London
Conn., has a remarkable record as an indus
trious preacher. He has been absent from
his pulpit only two Sundays in thirty five
years.
The bolyot John Galvagni, of Cincinnati,
vas cremated in that city recently. It was
;lie tenth cremation which has occurred in
Cincinnati
A Bonfire bailt on shore by two Alameda
Cal.,) residents attracted Ash to the vicinity
n such numbers that forty-five pounds were
looked in a little while.
A bubal debating society will soon
iiscuss the vital question: "Which benjfits
the country most?the Concord
3chool of Philosophy or the young
nan who wins the Jawn-tonnis cnamaionshiu
orris town Herald.
THE MARKETS.
NEW YOKK. 51
Jeof, good to prime 6 8
halves, common to prime.... 5 (Jj 6
sheep 5 %
>atnbs 5 S 6%
logs?Live 5 CO @ 5 85
Dressed 7%
lour?Ex. St, good to fancy 4 50 @ 4 75
West, good to choice 3 10 @ 5 20
Vbeat?No. 2 Red 90
lye?State 56 @ 58
Jarley?State 82 @ 85
torn?Urgraded Mixed.... 60 @ 62^
Jats?White State 37^'@ 39^
Mixed Western 8fJ @ 38
lay?Med. to prime 75 @ 85
Itraw?No. 1. Rye 75 @ 80
jard?City Steam 7 85 @ 8 10
iutter? State Creamery.... 26 @ 28 c
Dairy 1!) (<$ 27 t
West. Im. Creamery 17 @ 80 )
Fa' tory 14 % 2*2 g
Jheese?State Factory lOJ^? 115^
Skims 7 8}? !
Western 11% '
Lggs?State and Ponn 24 26 \
BUFFALO. c
iteers?Western.... 3 25 @3 75 ?
ilieo|>? Good to Choice 4 10 @ 4 75 ?
jambs?Western 5 25 (<% 5 75
logs?Good to Choice Yorks 5 55 @ 5 O'J a
"lour?Family 4 75 (<i 5 15
Vlieat?No. 1 85_li;y? W' ! i
kjrn?No. 2, Mixed ? (id Vt'1 it
)ats?No. Mixed 8ii (<{ j \ _
tarley?State 75 Sr> i r
BOSTON. ! J
!eef?Good to ehoi'.-e. s *'
logs?Live 5'*$ ?> I
Northern Dressed.... 7% j]
'ork?Ex. Prime, per bbl...17 00 (<f17 50
'lour?Spring Wheat pat's.. 4 70 (q, 4 95
!orn?High Mixed ? (<$ y
>nts?Extra White '!<> @ 3f>^ t
Lye?State GO (Tij 05 f
WATERTOW.N (MASS.) CATTLE MARKET.
leef? Dressed weigut. 7 ($ 7% ]
beep?Live weight 4 (d) 4% .
ainb< 5 @ 5'4 1
l xr?4.1 r. /? til/ <j
iug!t?liununni v ^ v>_^
PHILADELPHIA. I
'lour?Penn.extru family... 3 75 @ .3 ?7^
heat?No. 2, lied 87^(cj Si -.y
lorn?State Yellow 56 @ 55)$
lata Mixel 38 (till : f
tye?btate 5 2%'% I
latter Creamery Extra... ? @ 80 i C
Iheese?N. Y. Full Cream.. 12.V<tf '
i bird traits;
CURIOUS CHARACTERISTICS OF
THE FEATHERED TRIBE.
Eternal Mourners of the Florida
Everglades?Tho Talking Mlno?
A Humorous Bird?Peculiarities
of Other Birds.
Rev. Miller Hageman, of Brooklyn,
has studied birds for years. "What aresome
of the curious characteristics of
birds that have come under your notice
asked a New York Evening Sun reporter."
"The crying bird of the Florida everglades
is an eternal mourner," answered
Mr. Uageman. "From sunrise titt
night it sniffles and sobs so exactly like
a human being that you.look all about the
woods for a tragedy.' The shrike furnishes
a problem which neither theology
nor science has ever been able to answer,
It catches woodpeckers and little Mary1
: ai
iauu jciiun tuiuai?, auu jlu uuico tucia
on the thorn trees of the Southern oiange
groves till the branches are filled with
them. The shrike then goes off a little
way, and sits on the top rail of a fence,
with his second cousin, the blue Jay,
and laugns and curses the dying cries
and struggles of his victims. The tricki
of the blue jay are even more cruel. He.
may often be seen on a tine morning
sitting on a stake with the bright eye of
a pewee in his beak. -His treatment of
buss is even worse. He finds little buss
and rolls around them an earthem
ball. Then he goes away.! '
He entombs the bugs in clay and
leaves them to die. In refreshing con
trast to such cruelty are the lovely traits
of the scarlet tanager. This is the love-,
bird of legend. When the tanager's nest'
is fired on by the fowler it will clasp it
tightly with its talons, and with the ,
brood in it will bear it far away to
another tree. When the young of another
bird are deserted the tanager will
feed them day by day, and often remove
them bodily to her own nest. This
bird is an aristocrat. It is as stately * ,
stepper as the cardinal grosbeak. The
pine grosbeak' never sings except in a
thunder ttorm. The vireo sings all the
time. The cow bird is that one puzzle
of nature which baffles, more than all
others, the naturalist. Here is a bird
who has no home, no child, no nest.
It lays its eggs by stealth, in the nest of
other smaller birds during thefc?*bsencc,
often in the nest of the :
little Maryland yelloW-tbroat. The
cow-bird's egg, being larger than the - '
eggs of the email birds, gets most
of the warmth of the maternal breast,
and hatches first. Just here comes in
the tragedy. The mother bird, in her
efforts to feed the fester bird, loses her
own brood in the eggs that are never
hatched. The cow bird is the inseparable
companion of the cattle. It struts
leisurely between their legs, picking oil
the green gadflies, and through the hot
summer day may be seen perched on ther
back of somecow. The. niehtinira'.e is
used in Germany to tram canaries and
bulfinches. It is a fact tbat is not gene?
rally known tbat this bird of pathetic
hopefulness always sings toward the
moon. The leafy cage of the nightin- *
gale is the ilex tree. The ruins of the Alhnmbra
is the best place to hear him.n
"That bird which most nearly ap- '3.
proaches a human being in its powers of '
speech is the Calcutta mino. It is capable
oi being tanght a great number of
words, and then of originating ideas
'through them for the purpose of carrying
on a conversation. It has a glossy,
jet black plumage, with pale pink feet,
and a loose gold lace ruff around its
head. It inclines to melancholy, and
will sit by the hour and chant over and
over some old broken minor or repeat
absent-mindedly to itself the name :of
some dead person who loved it and took
care of it. The peewee is a small brown
bird that sits all day long in exactly the
same place?to which it comes back
within one inch?away from the South,
in the very darkest part of the woods. *
Its wings never cease to tremble. It
never sees the light o? day. It knows
that just outside the edge of the wood
the awful eye of the shrike is watching
for it. In brave contrast to this woodland
coward is the little yellow bird,
who may be seen in any meadow. The
name hv whirh thia American canarv is
kDown is the goldfinch. What schoolboy
has not seen him and almost caught
bim? Its chief delight in summer is to
pick the down from the thistle in its
search for seeds. When thepewee won't
:ome out the shrike chases the yellow
bird. Round and round they go in circles
that grow shorter and shorter, till at
last the shrike is obliged to sit down for
jheer dizziness on the fence rail, while
the yellow bird goes wee-cheeing around
the field in his undulating circles of
ioncr. The yellow bird stays North all
the year round. In the winter he wear*
i sober quaker suit.
"One of the most humorous birds i?
:he white cahoo. This is one of the
iame wild birds. He has no suspicions
)f man. His home is on the Bermuda
Islands. It is.a ghostly experience for a
man to go out at night and standing
dear the deep forests suddenly to hear a
roice in the distance exclaiming: 'Who
ire you? Who are you? Soon a white
)bject becomes outlined, nearer and
learer it approaches, till it percnesonnis
ihoulders and screams in his ear the crj *
written above.
"The ivory billed . woodpecker is the
ting of the woodpeckers. -He ia tricol>rea.
He describes deep curves from
ree top to tree top. He never taps at a
ive tree. He lias a a rat-tail file
cugue one foot loDg. With this he
t;<os insects. The belted kingfishersits
>y the still pond watching for mwaows.
ie dives without aspla h. He never
ails to bring up a fish. As soon as he
ias eaten it he utters a chuckle of trijmph
like a watchman's rattle. The
oon is a very curious bird. Its laughry
is one of the wildest ones in all na
ure. This bird cannot start from the
and and fly. H; must get a running
tart on the water. The loon always
rave's alone. He is more tenacious of
ifc than a cat. A loon that has been
kinged, wrung, bagg. d and left for
leud has plucked a man through the
ramcliag so that he has severely injured
litn. His beak is nine inches long and
5 snarp us ;i suuciuhklt s uwi.
"The most remarkable bird, in my
udginent, in tlie world is the mocking
>ird. Othor birds hive talent. The
ir.ckinnf hird ha< genius. lu the day
ime it is a jester, but at night, when the
ow plaint is on it. an unrivaled singer,
t rushes up 100 feet in ihcair, and poisng
pours out its whole soul in the most
mpassioned son? umr, ?a n
vith love's ecstncy, it falls down into
he bushes and pants and trembles in
aint quavers of melody."
4,In conclusion let me add,"' said Mr.
lageman, "that the thrush is the reigious
bird of the forest. lie sings the
acred songs in the great cathedral of
lature." *
Companions are to he avoided that are
rood for nothing; those to be sought and
requented that excel in some quality or
ther.
. ,.-A